Ruby Fuzzybrush's Star Dance

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map of Friendship Forest

  Epigraph

  CHAPTER ONE: Sunset in the Forest

  CHAPTER TWO: The Magical Moonstone

  CHAPTER THREE: Smudge the Dragon

  CHAPTER FOUR: Shadow Spell

  CHAPTER FIVE: The Midnight Market

  CHAPTER SIX: Ruby’s Dance

  CHAPTER SEVEN: Starlight

  Sneak Peek

  Puzzle Fun!

  Lily and Jess’s Animal Facts

  Copyright

  As it got dark, Lily Hart and her best friend, Jess Forester, grinned at each other excitedly. They’d been waiting all day for the sun to go down, so that some very special animals would wake up! As they left the barn, the last of the sunshine lit up the sign on the door: HELPING PAW WILDLIFE HOSPITAL. Lily’s parents had set up the hospital to take care of all kinds of animals, and Lily and Jess helped out there whenever they could.

  “I’m so excited,” Jess said, twirling one of her blond curls around her finger. “I’ve never fed a fox cub before.”

  “Me neither!” said Lily. “Wait until you see them, they’re adorable!”

  “You forgot these!” Mrs. Hart came out of the hospital and handed them each a feeding bottle full of milk and a flashlight. “Here you go,” she said. “Have fun!”

  Lily took Jess over to one of the special runs her dad had made to keep the animal patients safe. It had a lid made of wire netting on a wooden frame. As Lily lifted it, two fluffy little faces with pointed noses and amber eyes peeped sleepily out from a wooden shelter.

  “They’re so cute!” exclaimed Jess.

  “A lady from the village found them all alone yesterday afternoon,” Lily said, shaking her head so that her short dark hair swung around her face. “Dad said foxes are nocturnal, so they’re supposed to sleep during the day and be awake at night.”

  The girls knelt down next to the run. The cubs tottered over on wobbly legs, with their long fluffy tails trailing in the grass. Soon they were guzzling the warm milk greedily.

  When the bottles were empty, Jess and Lily replaced the wire cover. The sun was going down, but the cubs were wide awake. Lily and Jess turned on their flashlights and stayed to watch as the cute little fox cubs played with each other.

  As she looked at them, Lily caught sight of something else glowing: two shining eyes! Something was crouched underneath a nearby bush.

  “Look, Jess,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s another fox cub.”

  As she spoke, the creature appeared.

  “Even better—it’s Goldie!” Lily gasped in delight.

  A beautiful golden cat bounded over and curled around their legs.

  The girls shared a wonderful secret with the little cat—she lived in Friendship Forest, a hidden world where all the animals could talk! Now both girls were smiling with excitement.

  “If Goldie’s here, that means we’re going back to Friendship Forest!” cried Jess happily.

  “A nighttime adventure with our animal friends!” Lily grinned in delight.

  The cat immediately turned toward Brightley Stream, which ran across the bottom of the Harts’ yard. Using the beams from their flashlights, Jess and Lily followed Goldie over the stepping-stones and into Brightley Meadow.

  Lily shone her flashlight on a lifeless old oak tree in the middle of the meadow—the Friendship Tree. She glanced at Jess excitedly, knowing what would happen as they drew near.

  Sure enough, the old tree burst into life. As leaves sprouted from every twig, a nightingale sang sweetly from the topmost branch and pale moths danced around the yellow flower buds that dotted the grass below. Lily and Jess gasped. They’d never seen the Friendship Tree in the dark before.

  “It looks so different from how it is in the day,” said Lily, “but just as beautiful!”

  The girls read aloud the words carved into the tree’s bark.

  “Friendship Forest!” they said together.

  They felt a thrill as a small door with a leaf-shaped handle appeared in the trunk. When Jess opened it, shimmering golden light poured out.

  Goldie darted inside.

  “I can’t wait to see everyone again!” exclaimed Lily.

  Tucking their flashlights into their pockets, the girls stooped to follow Goldie.

  Instantly, they tingled all over, and knew that they were shrinking, just a little.

  As the golden light faded, Jess and Lily found themselves once more in beautiful, flower-scented Friendship Forest. The sun was setting here, too, casting long shadows, and the flowers were closing up for the evening.

  Lily looked back. “The Friendship Tree’s leaves aren’t golden anymore,” she said in surprise. “They’re turning silver!”

  “That’s because it’s nearly nighttime,” said a soft voice.

  The girls spun around. “Goldie!” they cried, rushing to hug her.

  The green-eyed cat was standing upright, wearing her golden scarf. As the girls were smaller, Goldie almost reached up to their shoulders, and now that they were in Friendship Forest, she could talk!

  “It’s so nice to see you,” Jess told their friend. Then she noticed that Goldie’s tail was twitching anxiously. “What is it, Goldie? Are Grizelda’s dragons causing trouble again?”

  Grizelda was an evil witch who wanted to make the animals leave Friendship Forest so she could have it all for herself. The girls had managed to stop her wicked plans so far, but now she had dragons helping her!

  Goldie sighed. “I think one of the dragons must be up to something. The Fuzzybrush fox family say they’ve seen strange things in the sky.”

  The girls stared at Goldie in dismay.

  “It sounds like Grizelda has an awful new plan,” said Lily.

  “Whatever it is,” said Jess fiercely, “we’ll stop her. We won’t let her or her dragons hurt Friendship Forest, Goldie—we promise!”

  The setting sun streaked the sky above Friendship Forest with pinks and reds. As they walked through the forest, Lily waved to some birds who were snuggling down for the night in their nest in a hollow tree.

  “Good night!” chirruped the smallest bird, yawning sleepily.

  “Sleep well!” Jess called to the cute little birds.

  “Everyone’s going to bed!” Lily said.

  “Not everyone!” Goldie said with a smile. “There are lots of nocturnal animals in Friendship Forest. Like the Fuzzybrush fox family.”

  “We’d better talk to them about the strange things they saw,” Jess said.

  “Where do they live?” Lily asked.

  The cat smiled. “In a very unusual home,” she said. “You’ll see!”

  After a while, a tall, narrow building came into view. Soft light glowed from the circular window at the top.

  “It’s a lighthouse!” cried Jess. “An orange-and-white-striped lighthouse!”

  “The Fuzzybrushes keep the lighthouse night-light on when it’s dark,” Goldie explained. “With that and the stars, all the nighttime animals can see their way around the forest.”

  “Wow,” breathed Lily. “Do you think the Fuzzybrushes would let us see inside?”

  Before Goldie could reply, a door on the side of the lighthouse opened and the Fuzzybrush family ran out to meet them. Two larger foxes and two cubs bounded around the girls in a whirl of pointed noses, orange fur, and fluffy tails.

  “Welcome to our home,” said Mrs. Fuzzybrush proudly.

  The adorable fox cubs bounded excitedly around the girls. The girl cub had a pretty bow around her neck, and the boy had a baseball cap on.

  “Do you remember us?” the girl fox asked eagerly.

  “Of course we do, Ruby,” said Li
ly. “And you too, Rusty!” She gave them each a big hug.

  The brave cubs had helped Goldie and the girls defeat Grizelda in their adventure with little Bella Tabbypaw the kitten.

  “Could you tell us about the thing you saw in the sky?” Goldie asked Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzybrush.

  “It was a black shadow, as big as me,” said Mr. Fuzzybrush in a gruff voice, “and it glided over the forest.”

  “It was spooky!” said Ruby. Rusty nodded in agreement.

  The girls and Goldie exchanged glances. “This must be something to do with Grizelda,” Lily whispered.

  Mrs. Fuzzybrush glanced up at the darkening sky. “The sun’s almost set, children,” she called, “so it’s—”

  “Star dance time!” cried Ruby.

  Jess was puzzled. “What’s a star dance?” she asked.

  “Come with us,” said Mr. Fuzzybrush kindly, “and we’ll show you!”

  Everyone followed him inside the lighthouse. On the ground floor were a comfortable living room and three cozy bedrooms.

  “That one’s mine!” said Ruby proudly, as they passed a pretty, round room decorated in red and pink.

  “It’s the color of rubies!” said Lily.

  Rusty rushed them past his bedroom. “Mine’s a little messy,” he said. The girls peeked inside and smiled as they saw a building set and little toy foxes scattered messily all over the bedroom floor.

  They went up a spiral staircase right to the very top of the lighthouse. In the middle of the floor was a wooden star-shaped table. Sitting on top of it was a smooth, white stone the size of a watermelon. It glowed with a soft, pretty light.

  “That’s so beautiful,” breathed Lily. “What is it?”

  “It’s the magical moonstone,” Mr. Fuzzybrush explained. “We need it for our star dance. Every evening we dance around it, to wake the stars. Then at dawn, we dance again to put them back to sleep.”

  “The star dance is a special dance that only foxes know,” said Goldie. “It takes a really long time to learn.”

  “It’s getting dark now,” said Mrs. Fuzzybrush, “which means it’s time for our star dance! Come on, children, let’s go to the clearing!”

  Mrs. Fuzzybrush carefully picked up the moonstone and raced down the spiral staircase.

  Lily and Jess followed the foxes as they hurried into a clearing next to the lighthouse. Mrs. Fuzzybrush put the magical moonstone down in the center and gave it a brush with her tail.

  Ruby tugged at Lily’s skirt. “Rusty and I know all the steps now!”

  The Fuzzybrushes took up their positions around the magical moonstone and began to dance.

  Goldie, Jess, and Lily watched in delight. The foxes stepped, dipped, glided, and turned around the moonstone, weaving complicated patterns. Each time they swept past each other and their bushy tails touched, the glow from the moonstone grew brighter.

  Lily glanced up at the night sky. “Look, Jess!” she whispered. “The stars are coming out.”

  Jess gazed at the sky. “It’s so beautiful!” she cried. “Oh! The brighter the moonstone becomes, the more stars appear.”

  The girls stared in delight as hundreds—no, thousands—of stars winked and blinked in the darkness. Soon it was almost as bright as daytime, as the forest lit up with sparkling silver starlight.

  Suddenly, Rusty cried out, “Look, Mom, Dad! Up there in the sky!”

  Everyone stopped dancing and turned to stare.

  A dark shadow, just as Mr. Fuzzybrush had described, was flying through the night sky.

  Jess and Lily watched as it came closer.

  “That’s not a shadow,” Lily said shakily.

  “You’re right,” cried Jess. “It’s one of Grizelda’s dragons!”

  The black dragon zoomed closer.

  “He’s heading right toward the lighthouse!” cried Jess.

  As he flew, the dragon’s long, scaly tail tangled around his back legs. He beat his black wings harder as he tried to swerve aside, but it was too late.

  Crash! He bashed into the lighthouse roof and skidded on the tiles.

  Ruby scooped up the moonstone and the foxes ran toward their home, followed by Goldie and the girls. As they got to the lighthouse, everyone gasped.

  Long curved claws scrabbled at the roof. A cloud of soot puffed over the lighthouse, blocking out the night-light that shone through the windows. Immediately, the forest went darker. The dragon scrambled over the roof and Ruby ducked as a tile crashed down.

  The dragon peered down at the foxes. Then he took off from the roof and circled around, lower and lower, until his tail caught around his wing and he bump-bump-bumped to the ground, sending up another puff of soot.

  “He’s so clumsy!” said Lily.

  “And dirty!” said Goldie. She pointed to the lighthouse, which was smeared with black soot. “What a mess! Grizelda called him Smudge, remember? No wonder!”

  Smudge spotted something and grinned. Then he shook his wing free from his tail and swooped down toward Ruby Fuzzybrush.

  “Raargh!” he roared, as he grabbed the magical moonstone out of her paws.

  Jess heard Ruby start to cry and knelt down to stroke the cub’s soft, furry head.

  “No more night-light and no more stars.” Smudge laughed. “The night should be the darkest dark.”

  Mr. Fuzzybrush folded his paws crossly. “Give that back,” he said to Smudge. “We need the moonstone to make starlight so all the nighttime animals can find their way.”

  Smudge stumbled over his tail as he landed and waddled over to Mr. Fuzzybrush. “Grizelda wants the forest to be dark, and so do I,” he said. “So there!” He took a deep breath and huffed a great sooty cloud all over the foxes.

  Lily and Jess expected them to start coughing. But they didn’t. When the sooty cloud cleared, Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzybrush and Rusty had completely vanished!

  “Hee hee!” Smudge giggled. He flapped his wings and took off. There was a sound of snapping branches as he crashed through the trees on his way back up into the night sky.

  Beside Jess, Ruby stared in horror at the place where her family had been. “Mom! Dad! Rusty! They disappeared!” she cried. “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jess, looking around desperately.

  “Oh, no!” cried Lily. “The stars are disappearing, too!”

  “The moonstone!” Ruby wailed. “The stars are fading because Smudge has the moonstone and we didn’t finish the dance!” The little fox cub sniffled miserably. Then her eyes widened. “What’s that?”

  Lily and Jess looked, and groaned.

  A familiar yellow-green orb was flying toward them. With a cra-ack! it exploded in a huge shower of nasty-smelling, yellow-green sparks and Grizelda appeared. Her long green hair snaked around her thin, bony face.

  “Grizelda!” said Jess. “What did Smudge do to the Fuzzybrushes? Tell him to bring them back right now!”

  The witch threw back her cloak, revealing her shiny purple tunic and pants, and her pointy-toed boots.

  “Ha haaa!” she cackled. “No more starlight! The nighttime animals will get lost and fall down holes and bump into things, because they won’t be able to see. Then they’ll have to leave the forest! Ha ha haaa!”

  The girls glared at her. Ruby hid behind Jess’s legs.

  “That’s not all,” Grizelda said gleefully. “No more starlight means no more Friendship Tree.”

  “What?” gasped Lily.

  “Without starlight, the silver leaves will fall from the Friendship Tree,” Goldie explained. “And without its leaves, it will lose its magic.”

  The girls were horrified.

  “But doesn’t that mean . . .” Jess began.

  Goldie nodded sadly. “You wouldn’t be able to come back to Friendship Forest ever again.”

  Grizelda gave a wicked laugh. “You interfering girls had better go home before the last leaf on the Friendship Tree falls,” she said scornfully, “or you’ll be stuck here forever!”

  L
ily and Jess glanced at each other. The thought of never seeing their animal friends again was awful, but so was never being able to go home.

  “Oh, Goldie,” said Lily with a sob. “We have to go! We couldn’t leave our families.”

  “Yes, go!” sneered Grizelda. “Go away! No more meddling in my plans. Ha haaa!”

  She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a burst of smelly yellow sparks.

  “I can’t imagine never coming to Friendship Forest again,” Lily said. Tears filled her eyes. “We’d miss you so much!”

  Jess put an arm around Lily. She felt like crying, too. “How long do you think we have before the Friendship Tree loses its magic?” she asked.

  Goldie looked up at the fading stars. “The last leaf will fall when the last star fades from the sky,” she said grimly.

  Jess and Lily looked up.

  “We have to try to stop Grizelda’s plan,” said Jess determinedly. “If only we could get the Fuzzybrushes and the moonstone back . . . they could dance and bring out the stars again. Then we can stay here.”

  “Where should we start looking?” Lily asked Goldie.

  But the cat was staring at the lighthouse. Her green eyes had narrowed and her tail twitched thoughtfully.

  “What is it, Goldie?” asked Lily. “Have you seen something?”

  Goldie pointed at the lighthouse wall. “Look at those funny shadows,” she said. “I can’t see what’s casting them.”

  Ruby gave a squeal. “One of them’s waving!” she cried.

  They peered closer.

  “Each shadow has two pointy ears,” said Lily.

  “And a bushy tail,” Jess added. “Oh my goodness, they’re—”

  “Foxes!” cried Goldie. “Smudge turned the Fuzzybrushes into shadows!”

  Ruby ran over to the lighthouse and tried to hug one of the shadow foxes, but she couldn’t.

  Lily put her arm around Ruby and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll make Smudge reverse his magic and give us the moonstone. You’ll get your family back.”